1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for making a prosthetic implant.
2. Description of Related Art
In orthopedic facial reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, a bone prosthesis may be surgically inserted between the facial skeleton and the soft tissue of the side of the patient's face to give the face a more pleasing appearance. Such bone prostheses include, for example, chin implants and malar implants. U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,849 issued Dec. 13, 1988 to Terino describes a malar implant which is positioned between the malar-zygomatic bone complex and the cheek to correct the insufficient prominence of the cheekbone. Generally, these implants are of the "off-the-shelf" type and are provided in different sizes to accommodate the normal range of patients' facial skeleton sizes. However, because these implants are of standardized shapes and sizes, and because the surface contour of the facial skeleton may differ from one individual patient to another, the implant may need to be tailored somewhat for each individual patient to form a custom fit against the surface contour of the facial skeleton of the patient during the surgical operation.